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Friday, January 29, 2010

You just know it's going to be an awesome kind of day when you wake up to your smiling husband handing you a CROWN! And a battery powered sparkly crown to boot. Yeah. Queen of the Day. (posted early morning thank you for my crown pic on FB and found Happy Birthday messages from early rising friend!!)

I took a little mid-morning nap then had to get up and hurry to shower, etc. I had a very nice birthday message on my machine from my mom whose call I missed. And my sister called me about 3 times for various reasons.

Called her back on my way to pick up Kathryn, but she HUNG UP on me on my birthday. I laughed half the way to Kathryn's remembering days with preschoolers that I thought would NEVER end.

Lunch with Kathryn at Extreme Pita. On the tall chairs at the bar by the window. Very nice. She's grown up, people. I have a grown up daughter. Sigh.

Jeff picked me up after work to go to a matinee. Avatar won the Facebook coin toss which was good because the Fargo Theatre didn't have a matinee for Up In The Air today! It is COLD outside, but the sun is shining. Txtd Alex from the theater to remind him to remind his sister to pick him up after school, put the phone on vibrate and put it AWAY. hee! I love having kids who take care of themselves.

We did not miss the beginning of the movie, even though I almost made us late.

We liked Avatar. (LONG movie)

But now I want a tail.

And a braid.

"I see you..."

Just about made ourselves sick on popcorn.

When we got home, the lasagna was not thawed (not even CLOSE) and so was two hours from the table. So... "hello? Dominos?" I like ordering pizza online.

Julie called for the half a millionth time to see if I had opened her present yet. So I did. CHOCOLATE!!!! And a super cute new blouse - perfect MK attire. Thank you, sis!

Jeff started a puzzle while waiting for the pizza. Jamie was out to coffee with Kathryn for some sister time. The boys were on the computer playing something. I made a few quick MK calls (yay! I have a party confirmed for Grand Forks on Monday)

The pizza came - Jamie came home - and we all went to the basement to eat and watch "The Young Sherlock Holmes." How did I miss this 80's Spielberg gem? Don't know.

Then....

YAY!! Time for presents!!

Can't really see them in the pic (not your fault, Alex) but these are the cutest little reindeer placecard holders we saw at a Moorhead coffee place the other day. We're not really the formal dinner type people, but Jamie likes to make placecards & I love it when she does - and these are so fun!

Look! Jamie customized the wrapping for the big, heavy gift! It's so beautiful it was hard to open. I'm saving it to hang on her wall after she leaves me this summer and I turn her room into my Mary Kay room. (<3 u jem!!)

eeee! Jeff bought a rolling tray-cart thing with a tilting work table that will be SO excellent for my computer when I'm relaxing in bed or on the couch. (that happens once in awhile) I think it may make him nervous when I leave it on the floor upstairs. (that happens once it awhile too)

I ALMOST thought I was going to get kisses from my boys. But, alas, they were just kidding.

Still it was a really happy day spent with people I love who love me back so much more than I could deserve.

Monday, January 25, 2010

We had a crazy combination of winter weathers this LONG weekend: fog, rain, freezing rain, sleet, mist, gigantic snowflakes, wet heavy snow and slush, temps in the 30s for days now dropping into the teens today and below 0 overnight tonight, and blizzard conditions with winds gusting to nearly 50 mph today. I don't recall ever seeing snowflakes so BIG as the ones that held hands and floated out of the sky last Saturday morning. That icicle is at least 3 feet long! We don't usually see icicles at all on our house, but the melting snow and dropping temps made that big one that surprised us this morning. No school for the kids today with white out conditions throughout the Valley and no travel advised in all of North Dakota.

It might be the cabin fever that causes us to use our cell phones to call each other in the house - except that we do it all year round pretty much. I think it's the next generation intercom system. Except this weekend when no one was answering their cell phones, I was especially ingenious and called my MK answering machine from upstairs so that SOMEONE might hear me talking and do my bidding. And it worked! Jamie doesn't actually need such a system with her lung power. The best part was hearing her voice on the answering machine message when she yelled to me from downstairs and my cell phone picked it up so that it was recorded. Wow.

Last weekend Jamie and Alex went to Minneapolis to visit cousins. Nate had to stay home to work on a school project. (How does he always get the group project with only girls in the group???) All was well until Jamie started throwing up Sunday night. So Kathryn & I made a quick trip down and back to pick them up. I really enjoyed the mother/daughter time with each of my girls!

Nate is planning to take his "written" driver's permit test this Wednesday morning. Then he can begin his on the road lessons and take the test for his license in 6 months. Looking forward to having a new driver by next fall. The boys (and I) have been so spoiled having Jamie take up the driving slack this last year.

Jamie had her interview with Tay Odor in the Cities last Sunday - she's hoping to work at Pine Haven this summer. We were surprised to find out that Tay is thinking of putting Jamie on the Outdoor Crew! I think it will be a wonderful experience for Jamie but I'm going to miss her terribly.

Kathryn got a new job at West Acres Bowl - in the snack bar. Can't wait to sample her pizza making skills. When it stops snowing, we're planning a family bowling party out there. She's working weekends there and looking for something else part time for during the week. Christian is working at Dunn Bros - I think the girls have been enjoying the perks!

Alex and Jamie and their orchestras are getting ready for the Big Event in February. Midori (world-famous violinist) chooses 2 cities to visit each year for a special one week extravaganza of clinics and concerts and etc. Fargo-Moorhead got the nod this year and it's going to be so much cooler than the kids can even know!

I have most of the most important name changes complete...down to hair stylist and video store. I sign with a stutter these days - trying to remember both new year and new name at once!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Monday, January 11, 2010

I don't know how they did it, but somehow Julie's children gave me the stomach bug from clear across the country! Or else it was Christian via Kathryn. I was laying pretty low over the weekend - but I got plenty of TLC and I feel better today (even considering it's Monday).

We finally got a break from the COLD - we were in the mid-20s yesterday - supposed to get all the way up to 29 by Wednesday. This after a couple weeks well below 0. New Year's Day - our Wedding Day - dawned at -27! Jeff's parents (Don & Gloria) demonstrated a real commitment to our new family traveling from Alabama for a four day sub-zero adventure.

We had such a great New Year's Weekend with all our kids and Jeff's parents - wedding, dinner(s), cooking, playing cards, hanging out. I'm still writing thank yous for all the special visits, thoughts, well-wishes and gifts. I'll post a link over there ---> to my pictures on Facebook if you haven't seen them yet!

We've had a busy couple weeks at the end of the block - astounded at how much Jeff still had to move from the little apartment. Seems like we were doing such a good job gradually bringing stuff over this Fall - and YET - seems like we still have to find room for more! I'm working on all the name change business this week - and trying to remember my new name myself! The Christmas decorations were a little late going up this year and they're taking their sweet time coming back down too. The kids seem to think that if the tree is still up, it should be lit - I keep turning it back off thinking we don't really need to advertise it to the whole neighborhood. :-)

Jamie continues to work away on the stuff Seniors have to do all year. She chose her senior picture and turned that in along with her baby picture for the yearbook. She also learned about pumping gas in sub-zero Minnesota. We got a little nervous over a couple frostbitten toes - silly girl!! We used this as evidence for Kathryn that she really should at least carry socks with her in the winter. Children of the Northland - what are you going to do?

Ashlee came all the way from Texas for the wedding - it was so sweet to have her here! She knew just what to do with the sparkly bobby pins I bought for my hair. She's a junior this year and so still relatively carefree. She is switching schools in January - the vacations didn't align so she caught a FOUR week break.

Marissa turned 20 last week - she's our Epiphany Girl (Jan 6). It has been good to get to know her boyfriend, Aaron, a little. Kathryn turned 20 in November. Can't believe we're leaving the teen years! We're glad to have both girls living here in Fargo-Moorhead - looking forward to a new year of dinners, laundry and movie nights.

Nate is suddenly taller than me! And still under 100 pounds. Our campaign to fatten him up continues into the New Year. If we could just get him to stop growing UP we might have some success. He has really come into his own at school and manages his work well - his grades reflect his efforts. His once-a-week afternoon paper route has required alot of extra cold-weather gear this last month.

Alex enjoyed his break from school over Christmas - going back? Not so much. He and Algebra are still not getting along so well. The boys will be traveling with Jamie to the Cities this weekend to see the cousins and celebrate Christmas. They have a Monday and Tuesday holiday from school.

Better get back to my Thank Yous - if you haven't received yours yet - it will be in the mail...soon.